Title: The HEAT is on. LISTEN.
The sixth pairing of our resident Santa, Argyle, with C.C. brings us a single clue puzzle to unravel. HEAT yielded 2 grid-spanners and 2 fourteen letter fill giving us a quick 58 letters in the theme. These single word, single clue ones mean lots of work for me as I really need to solve many perps to get to the theme fill. Lots of nice fill like DE NADA, WET HEN, HEE HEE, ERECTS, LESS TAR, SERAPES, MIGRANT, SPLICES, SARASOTA, FOOLED ME, D.H. LAWRENCE, OPEN SECRET. Well if you can't take the heat, get our your eraser.
17A. Heat : INTENSE PRESSURE (15). For example, the heat is on Hilary about her deleted emails.
31A. Heat : QUALIFYING RACE (14). For example, Mark Spitz won his semi-final heat in world record time.
38A. Heat : MIAMI HOOPSTERS (14). Their season is over, but no Whiteside and no Bosh for most of the Toronto series.
59A. Heat : HABANERO FEATURE (15). For example, you can READ all about hot peppers.
Okay, now solve:
Across:
1. Light source : BIC. As in:
Recognize Orson Bean's voice?
4. Sea bordering Uzbekistan : ARAL and the ever confusing to me 32D. 1,509-mile border river : URAL. They are both back again to add to our geography miseries.
8. Online money source : E-LOAN. They must be more popular in the midwest.
13. Prepare for a snap : LOAD. I guess this refers to the old fashioned need to put film in a camera.
15. "Sons and Lovers" author : D. H. LAWRENCE. This was one of his earliest works LINK ; his most famous perhaps being his last major novel
20. "__ does it!" : THAT.
21. Zipped : SPED.
22. Gulf Coast resort city : SARASOTA. A wonderful little city with white sand beaches and it rhymes with Minnesota which is great for limercists.
24. Like sriracha sauce : HOT. LIke the reference to "TODDLERS" in yesterday CHILD theme, I am ambivalent about this being in a HEAT puzzle.
26. Smidgen : DAB. Brylcreem anyone?
27. Colorful cover-ups : SERAPES. Forgive the partial NUDITY.
35. Alley wanderer : CUR. But not dressed like that.
36. Popular truck brand : RAM.
37. Important time : AGE.
45. Unites, in a way : SPLICES. A thoughtful Friday clue. LINK.
46. PETA concern : FUR. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. I have always had mixed feeling about how they promote this effort.
48. "No, really?" : FOOLED ME.
53. Egg on : SPUR. More horse talk?
56. L, vis-à-vis C : HALF. 50 is half of 100.
58. Junkyard material : SCRAP. Sometimes.
63. Fries, e.g. : SIDE order.
64. Medicare card specification : PART A.
65. Fabulous runner-up : HARE. FABLE leads to fabulous here.
Down:
1. Euphoria : BLISS. So many choices joy, happiness, pleasure, delight, ecstasy, elation, rapture.
2. Region that rebelled against Persia in about 500 B.C. : IONIA. A bit of HISTORY.
3. Work at weddings : CATER.
4. Hulu distractions : ADS.The rerun service.
5. Butler in a classic film : RHETT. My first thought was Arthur Treacher.
6. Greek leader : ALPHA. Cute clue.
7. Logan of "60 Minutes" : LARA. She was made part of a horrible STORY. She did well on Jeopardy Tuesday.
8. EMS destinations : ERS. No bitter vetch? Will Weng where are you?
9. Advertised advantage of some lights : LESS TAR.
10. "Get __": 1967 Esquires hit : ON UP.
12. Cry out for : NEED.
14. "You're welcome," in Havana : DE NADA.
16. Anger simile : WET HEN. Did you KNOW?
18. Like Willie Nelson's voice : NASAL. Well that sounds a bit critical but Willie is an interesting MAN.
23. Kabuki accessory : OBI. My sash a week continues.
25. URL ender : ORG.
27. Easy mark : SIMPelton.
28. Host after Allen : PAAR. I have written often about Jack Paar.
29. Med. tests using leads : ECGS.
30. "Now do you believe me?" : SEE. Mira.
31. Wit's end? : QUIP. The end result of wit.
33. Big dos : FROS.
34. 2011 NBA retiree : YAO. HOF center with bad feet.
35. Divs. on some rulers : CMS. Centimeters which is pronounced??
39. "The Grapes of Wrath" character : MIGRANT. I tried to dredge up a character name until the perps kicked in.
40. Make sure of : ICE. They are out to get Tinman these days.
41. Titter : HEE HEE. I always like TEE HEE.
42. Bay Area travel letters : SFO.
43. Home of the WNBA's Shock : TULSA. They have moved to Dallas LINK but do post star Skylar Diggins
44. Puts up : ERECTS.
48. Botanist's field : FLORA.
49. Proposal : OFFER.
50. Old Celtic religious leader : DRUID. Never understood this GROUP.
51. Column in un calendrier : MARDI. Tuesday in French.
52. Fencing swords : EPEES.
53. Hunt for bargains : SHOP.
54. Hemingway sobriquet : PAPA. Self imposed? LINK.
55. Cab company competitor : UBER. I recently used one, and it was great.
57. Image on Missouri's state quarter : ARCH. The gateway arch.
60. "Citizenfour" org. : NSA. The movie about Edward Snowden and the National Security Agency.
61. Saison in Provence : ÉTÉ. Summer is coming.
That means the regular tv season is over, lots of characters lying dead on the screen but we soldier on. Great fun, thank you Scott and C.C. and thank you all for the comments I will read soon. Lemonade out.
